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Unyielding DeLaSalle slams door

By JIM PAULSEN, Star Tribune, 03/17/12, 4:00PM CDT

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The Islanders, buoyed by a perceived slight, thumped Richfield to repeat as champs.

The best thing that could have happened to DeLaSalle — and the worst thing for the rest of the Class 3A field —was the resounding slap the Islanders received in the days leading up to the tournament.

It wasn’t a literal slap: The Islanders were quick to notice that they had been seeded third despite their 2011 championship and No. 1 ranking in the Associated Press polls.

Judging by their dismantling of top-seeded Richfield 65-45 in the Saturday’s Class 3A championship game, one question became obvious: Why give a team as talented and experienced at DeLaSalle such motivation?

“We were in the banquet before the tournament and when our team was introduced, you could hear a pin drop. The girls noticed,” Islanders coach Faith Johnson Patterson said following their quarterfinals victory over Monticello. “They remember those things.”

The Islanders stated their intent at repeating in the opening minute when point guard Allina Starr nailed back-to-back three-pointers for a 6-0 lead.

But Richfield, making its first state tournament appearance, showed why it earned the No. 1 seed, battling back with a tight zone defense and strong interior play from senior center Bryann Guyton to take its only lead of the game, 12-10.

Bright spots were few for the Spartans after that. DeLaSalle went on an 11-2 run, capped by three-pointers from Starr and freshman Taylor Toney, and not long after Richfield’s heart, guard Jessica January, was relegated to the bench with three fouls.

To that point, DeLaSalle’s lead had more to do with grit than style. The depth is their strength and Johnson Patterson is unafraid to go deep into her bench. And it was needed, as Starr, Mia Loyd and Mariah Adanene all found themselves in foul trouble and dynamic forward Tyseanna Johnson was struggling with her shot.

The Islanders still managed to extend their lead, with reserves such as Toney and Cori Garner sparking them off the bench. Garner put an exclamation point on DeLaSalle’s first half with a three-pointer at the horn for a 33-22 halftime lead.

Richfield came out in the second half determined to go right at DeLaSalle, but the best the Spartan could manage was to trade points. Every time Richfield would make a run,

DeLaSalle had an answer, whether it Johnson’s slashing offense or Starr dribbling figure-eights through the Richfield defense to find an open shot or teammate.

Starr, who along with Johnson was playing in her fourth consecutive state tournament, led DeLaSalle (28-3) with 25 points while Johnson added 16, 12 of them after halftime.
Guyton paced Richfield (27-5) with 15 points. January scored 12 before fouling out.

 

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